Bridge-anchor.



No. 729,591. 1 PATBNTEDYJUNM, 41903,

P. P, JACOB'.

'BRIDGE ANCHOR.`

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 26, 1903. ITO MODEL.

PRESTON PEYTON JACOB,

Patented J une 2, 1903.

PATENT OEEIcE.

OF CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI.

BRIDGE-ANCHOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 729,591, dated .T une 2,1903..`

Application filed February 2 6, 1903. Serial No. 145,279. (No model.)

i a citizen of the United States,residing at Olinton, in the county ofHinds and State of Mississipp, have invented a new and usefulBridge-Anchor, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to anchors for cableY or suspension bridges; andit has for its object to provide a device of this class which shallpossess superior advantages in point of simplicity, ease ofmanipulation, and general efiiciency.

With these ends in view my invention con sists in the improvedconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will behereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional viewtaken through the bank at one terminal of the bridge equipped `with myimproved anchoring device.

anchoring device.

Corresponding parts in both figures are in V parts of the device I donot deem it necessary dicated by similar numerals of reference.

In the construction of cable or suspension bridges it is customary toprovide at4 each bank two or more towers or pillars to support thesuspension-cables. One of these towers has been shown in Fig. l, whereit is designated l, the special construction of this element forming nopart ot'. my present invention.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings is also shown the end of one of thesuspension-cables 2, which passes over the top of the supporting-towerl. The ends of the suspension-cables are connected each with an ironrod, two of which appear in Fig. 2 of the drawings, said rods passingobliqnelyinto the ground and through a timber 4, disposed horizontallyin a trench ot' suitable depth at right angles to the rods 3, which areiirmly connectedwith said timber by means of washers 5 and nuts 6 or inany other suitable manner. The timber 1t, which is usually known as thedead-man, may be of any suitable dimensions, according to the dimensionsof the structure which is to be supported; but a comparatively short andlight timber may be used, for the reason that, as will be presentlyseen, a plurality of such Fig. 2 is a perspective detail View of myimproved` ktimbers are to be employed in the construction of my improvedanchor.

In frontof the timber or dead-man. a con ple of piles 7 are drivenobliquely at right angles to the rods 3 andpreferably closely adjacentto the outer sides of the latter. The upper ends of said piles beinginclined up- Wardly for some distance above the timber 4, it is obviousthat said piles willserve to counteract any tendency on the part of saidtim- Through the upper ends of the piles 7 I pass brace-rods S, whichextend obliquely in a downward direction parallel to the rods 3 `andthrough a second horizontally-disposed timber 9, which is located at asuitable distance from the timber 4. and parallel thereto. Nuts andwashers l0 and ll are employed for securing the brace-rods 8 inposition. Piles 12 are driven obliquely in front of the timber 9 aboutlike the piles 7 to prevent forward or upward displacement of the timber9.

The upper ends of the piles 7 and 12 may `be embedded in concrete, asshown at 14,110 protect them against decay. The remaining to protect inthis manner, although I reserve the privilege of employing suchadditional protection, especially forthe timbers 4. and 9. I alsoreservethe privilege `of `substituting for the wooden timbers or piles,or both, structural iron or any other suitable material whenever itshall be deemed necessary to take such special precautions againstdecay. Dotted lines (designated 15 in Fig. 2 of lche drawings) indicateadditional brace rods, `which may be employed for connecting the upperends of the piles 12 with an additional timber or. dead-man, and anindefinite number of such timbers, piles, and connectingrods may beemployed, according to the span of the bridge under construction and`the weight which is to be supported. This of course will be readilyunderstood by` those skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains.

In the construction of bridges heretofore a single timber called thedead-man has been customarily employed, such timber being placed in ahorizontal trench and connected with the cables either directly or bymeans of intermediate rods. In order to inber to work upwardly or towardthe surface.

sure the desired resistance, it has usually been found lnecessary toplace such timber in a trench of considerable depth, and it hassometimes been reinforced by a number of piles, usually drivenvertically. In the latter case the expense of pile-driving has beenconsiderable, owing to the difficulty of drivin g the piles as the earthbecomes compacted.

By my invention excavation to any considerable depth is renderedunnecessary. Comparatively few piles are required, and these are drivenobliquely, as set forth. The first set of piles-that is, those nearestthe bridgeabutmentprevent the upward dislocation of the timber 4, andsaid piles are greatly reinforced by the second timber and set of piles,which must be dislocated before the rst set will move, as is obviousfrom the construction set forth. By using additional horizontal timbersand sets of piles and brace-rods structures involving great Weight andlength of span may be successfullyanchored without resorting toexcavations of great depth, and anypart of the anchoring device willtherefore be readily accessible at any time for the purpose of makingnecessary repairs. It is obvious that the various parts are to beproportioned according to the strain to which they Will be subjected.Thus, for instance, the first set of brace-rods 3 will usually be mademuch stronger than those of the succeeding sets; but I do not Wish to beunderstood as limiting myself in these respects. On the contrary, Ireserve the right to any changes and modifications which may be resortedto Without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing theutility of the same.

Having thus described my invention, I h

claiml. In a bridge-anchor, the combination of the suspensioncables,ahorizontally-disposed timber, brace-rods connecting the latter with theends of the cables, and piles driven obliquely in front of thehorizontal timber closely adjacentvto the outer sides of the brace-rods.

2. In a bridge-anchor, the combination of the suspensioncables,ahorizontally-disposed timber embedded in the ground, brace-rodsconnecting said timber with the ends of the cables, piles drivenobliquely in front of the horizontal timber closely adjacent to theouter sides of the brace-rods, and concrete caps or coverings for theends of said piles that project above the horizontal timber.

3. An anchor for suspension-bridges comprising a plurality ofhorizontally-disposed timbers embedded in the ground, piles drivenobliquely in front of said timbers, brace-rods connecting the firsttimber with the suspension-cables, and auxiliary brace-rods connectingthe upper ends of each set of piles with the horizontal timber in rearthereof.

4. A bridge-anchor comprising a plurality of horizontally-disposedtimbers, a plurality of obliquely-disposed piles in front of saidtimbers, brace-rods connecting the front timber with thesuspension-cables, and auxiliary brace-rods connecting each horizontaltimber, except the front one, With the upper ends of the piles driven infront of the timber next in advance thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

PRESTON PEYTON JACOB. Witnesses:

F. G. MARBLE, H. L. HERRING.

